Surely the title is a bit of an allusion to the Past, Present and Future of its predecessor, but Modern Times also brought Al Stewart into the present, establishing his classic sound of folky narratives and Lennonesque melodies, all wrapped up in a lush, layered production from Alan Parsons.
Hearing this production makes it clear that this is what was missing from Past, since it gives epics like the title track a real sense of grandeur that makes their sentiments resonate strongly.
But it's not just the improvement in production that makes Modern Times the beginning of Stewart's classic period -- his songwriting has leapt up and met his ambitions, as it retains the historical sweep of his earlier material but melds it to a melodic sensibility that's alternately comforting and haunting.
This skill is apparent throughout Modern Times, and is married to a sound that is its equivalent, making this an exquisite pop-prog gem.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CarolAl Stewart | Al Stewart | Play | 04:25 | 10 MB | 30 MB |
| 2 | Sirens of TitanAl Stewart | Al Stewart | Play | 02:51 | 6 MB | 18 MB |
| 3 | What's Going On?Al Stewart | Al Stewart | Play | 04:04 | 9 MB | 26 MB |
| 4 | Not the OneAl Stewart | Al Stewart | Play | 04:35 | 10 MB | 28 MB |
| 5 | Next TimeAl Stewart | Al Stewart | Play | 04:24 | 10 MB | 24 MB |
| 6 | Modern TimesAl Stewart | Al Stewart | Play | 08:16 | 18 MB | 52 MB |
| 7 | Apple Cider Reconstitution | Al Stewart | Play | 05:20 | 12 MB | 33 MB |
| 8 | Dark And The Rolling Sea | Al Stewart | Play | 05:29 | 12 MB | 33 MB |
| 9 | Swallow Wind | Al Stewart | Play | 03:19 | 7 MB | 19 MB |
| 10 | Willie The King | Al Stewart | Play | 04:00 | 9 MB | 25 MB |
| 11 | Sense Of Deja Vu | Al Stewart | Play | 04:47 | 10 MB | 30 MB |
| 51 mins | 118 MB | |||||
| 51 mins | 323 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brian Bennett | Vocals, Vocals (Background) |
| 2 | Simon Cantwell | Sleeve Design |
| 3 | Tony Carr | Percussion |
| 4 | Gerry Conway | Drums |
| 5 | Stuart Cowell | Dobro, Guitar, Guitar (Electric) |
| 6 | Barry DeSouza | Drums |
| 7 | Dave Ellis | Guitar (Acoustic) |
| 8 | David Ellis | Guitar |
| 9 | George Ford | Bass |
| 10 | Isaac Guillory | Guitar |
| 11 | Colin Irwin | Liner Notes |
| 12 | Peter James | Engineer |
| 13 | Neil Lancaster | Vocals, Vocals (Background) |
| 14 | Charles Mills | Vocals |
| 15 | Chas Mills | Vocals (Background) |
| 16 | Peter Moss | Bass, Fuzz Bass |
| 17 | Simon Nicol | Guitar, Guitar (Acoustic) |
| 18 | Alan Parsons | Arranger, Engineer, Producer, String Arrangements |
| 19 | Stephen K. Peeples | Liner Notes |
| 20 | Andrew Powell | Arranger |
| 21 | Tim Renwick | Guitar, Guitar (Electric) |
| 22 | Graham Smith | Harmonica |
| 23 | Al Stewart | Composer, Guitar, Guitar (Acoustic), Keyboards, Primary Artist, Vocals |
| 24 | Roslav Szaybo | Sleeve Design |
| 25 | Pete Wingfield | Keyboards |
| 26 | Peter Wood | Accordion, Keyboards |
| 27 | Peter Woods | Accordion, Keyboards |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |
| CD Quality | FLAC | 16bit 44.1kHz | FLAC is an audio coding format which uses lossless compression. Digital audio in FLAC format has a smaller size and retains the same quality of the original Compact Disc (CD). |